Government crisis - It may be too late to save the Coalition

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern’s seeming inability to be completely honest, up-front, entirely clear and unambiguous about his financial affairs has finally thrown the political situation into chaos amid growing signs that the Progressive Democrats may be about to walk out of the coalition Government.

This sensational scenario is the climax to a series of revelations concerning the Taoiseach finances involving a “loan” of €50,000 he got as Minister for Finance from wealthy friends in Dublin, €10,000 collected in a whip-around by Manchester businessmen, plus the purchase of his own home in Dublin.

Just when he seemed to be out of the woods, his failure to reveal the full facts to Tánaiste Michael McDowell could be the last straw leading to the collapse of this Government.